The Importance of the Self

We live in a society where the power of unity depends on individuality  A place where being selfish is encouraged. For years, we have heard government talk about HIV/Aids and encouraging people to get tested and pleading for the youth to abstain as they are the future of tomorrow. However, it has been proven that all methods that have been attempted whether it is having organisations attend to universities bi-monthly to have students get tested if they want, and going to high schools to speak to learners about sex, HIV, condoms and etc, or handing out brochures and publishing books and stories about these issues have become rather futile.

The point I am trying to make here is that, it is clear that people already know about HIV, they know how to prevent it, they know that if they have questions about it there are certain places and certain people to talk to about it. So why not divert all energy put into an awareness about what HIV , to an awareness about self love, because that's where it all begins. If you love yourself, you love yourself enough to protect yourself, your family, your friends. The youth of today is expressive, however what they lack is faith in themselves. They would rather work in a group than individually.

That is why you find them in packs, packs that have certain standards, standards that need to be followed in order to feel completely part of the group. They have placed themselves in boxes, catergorised themselves under certain names and if 'I do not engage in an alcohol frenzy, I am not cool enough' or if 'I do not date that popular guy in school and eventually have sex with him, I am not fun enough'. The youth of today wants to be part of the 'cool generation' they want to be remembered as the generation that was fun. But where's the fun when their sisters and brothers are being terminated by HIV/Aids? Where is the cool when HIV/Aids is eliminating their their group members? HIV/Aids is not cool or funny, and it certainly does not forget the 'you' or 'I', it does not travel in packs. When it is out there, it goes for YOU... YOU who won't protect himself, YOU who would rather be cool and dead...

Since the youth sees HIV/Aids as governments intent to restrict them from being cool and fun, why not speak their language and see it the way they do. Through music, fashion and dance, have campaigns about self love, about how good it is to be young alive and healthy. In order to be 'cool and fun' you need to be alive. Every young person out there and even older people crave to be alive. Being alive means doing what you have always wanted to do, travel, study, meet famous celebrities, fall in love, bungee jump and many more adventurous stuff, and in order for anyone to do all this they have to be alive. No one person in this world does not want to live, we never wonder about death because we love living.

 Fighting the spread of HIV/Aids shouldn't be about understanding it, its not human. Fighting to be alive is what people should encourage, through loving yourself and protecting yourself. HIV positive people are doing exactly that fighting to stay alive. People who know their status and know they are negative are fighting to keep it negative by fighting to stay alive.